Ivanka Trump hit with criticism about blog post on unpaid interns

Ivanka Trump has been mocked on social media for a blog post in which her #TeamIvanka interns provide tips on how to survive in unpaid roles.

Quincy Bulin, a copy intern for Ms Trump's website who said this was her "third unpaid summer in New York", banded together with other interns at Ivanka Trump HQ to offer tips on how to get by.

The article was actually written last month, but had a re-birth when it was tweeted again from Ms Trump's Twitter account with the hashtag #nomoneynoproblems.

Unsurprisingly, the fact that Ms Trump — the daughter of billionaire presidential nominee Donald Trump — is offering advice on how to make ends meet has ignited outrage online.

"Lemme guess — an unpaid intern is writing this as you vacay in Croatia," wrote one on Twitter.

"Ivanka Trump tried to give advice on something she knows nothing about," tweeted another.

"As if you have even the slightest idea about what it's like to work as an unpaid intern! Give me a break," a particularly angry user said.

Many have raised the point that by not paying her interns, Ms Trump is doing more harm than good in her fight for equal pay for women.

"Srsly, @ivankatrump? You push for equal pay for women but don't pay your interns?" one Twitter user asked.

 

Emojis spark anger

Adding fuel to the fire, the picture used on the post featured several emoji women all with dark skin, which many said was insensitive.

"Insulting tweet? Check use black women emojis to indicate poverty? Check," one tweeted.

A study by research group Intern Bridge found women are about 77 per cent more likely to be engaged in an unpaid internship than men.

This is because women are more likely to be involved in social justice, environmental and social service issues, the research said.

In the US, interns make up an estimated 1.3 per cent of the labour force, but the inappropriate use of internships has expanded in recent years according to the International Labour Organization.

In 2015, 22-year-old unpaid UN intern David Hyde lived in a tent in Geneva to draw attention to the "hypocrisy" that the UN relies on unpaid workers while promoting human rights.

Author: 
ABC Australia